Jul 23. () –
The NASA has ended development of VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) due to increased project costsdelays in the launch date and risks of future budget increases, according to the US agency.
The rover VIPER was designed to search for ice and other potential resources on Earth’s Moon, in support of NASA’s commitment to study the Moon. and help unravel some of the greatest mysteries of the solar system.
The rover was initially scheduled to launch in late 2023, but a delay to late 2024 was requested in 2022 to allow for further pre-flight testing of the Astrobotic lander.
Since then, NASA experienced further schedule delays and supply chain issues that pushed VIPER’s readiness date to September 2025, and its separate CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) launch aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander has also been delayed to a similar date.
“We are committed to the study and exploration of the Moon for the benefit of humanity through the CLPS program.“said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Fox added that the agency has several missions planned to search for ice and other resources on the Moon over the next five years.Our path forward will take full advantage of the technology and work done on VIPER, while preserving critical funding to support our robust lunar portfolio.“, he said.
In the future, NASA plans to disassemble and reuse VIPER instruments and components for future missions to the Moon.Prior to decommissioning, the agency will consider expressions of interest from U.S. industry and international partners by Aug. 1 for use of the existing VIPER rover system at no cost to the government.
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